Thieves break into armoury at police station

Police have stepped up a manhunt for the suspects who broke into the armoury of a police station at Daboya in the Northern region and made away with guns and ammunition.

The robbers stole the guns over the weekend after the only policeman who was on duty went home to rest claiming he was unwell.

Member of Parliament for Daboya, Mahama Shaibu, told Joy News the development has left residents apprehensive considering that it was a police station that had been attacked and arms were taken away.

Narrating what happened he said the station officer came back to the station on Sunday morning to find the charge office and armoury broken into.

According to him, two assault rifles, a single barreled gun and 60 rounds of ammunition had been taken from the armoury.

Mr Shaibu said what they are gathering is that the officer on duty went home between 6 pm and 10 pm on Saturday evening because he claimed he was not feeling well.

“They only found out the next morning that the bugler proof at the charge office had to have tampered and the padlock to the armoury also destroyed,” the legislator said.

He added that the situation is worrying because no one knows those who have taken the arms and what they would use it for.

The PRO of the Northen Regional Police Command, ASP Yussif Tanko, said the regional crime office of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has been ordered to take over the investigation to assist the officers in Damango and Daboya.

They have been ordered to secure the highways and intensify their checks and controls, he said.

Although he was unwilling to give details about what the station officer wrote in his official statement, he said, “we are trying to conduct our own investigations to ascertain if what he is telling us is true or there is more to it.”

ASP Tanko said the Regional Command cannot comprehend why the station was unmanned by any officer when it was broken into and needs answers.

“That is the reason why the Regional Crime Officer has been tasked to go to Damango and Daboya to go to institute a thorough investigation into the matter and report,” he said.